Summary
- Ace Attorney series began in 2001 and has grown to 10 entries known for smart writing and puzzle gameplay.
- The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles merges two games into one, starting the timeline with Ryunosuke Naruhodo in Meiji era.
- Spirit of Justice tasks Phoenix, Apollo, and Athena with legal battles in a corrupt kingdom, ending the timeline.
When Shu Takumi and his entourage first conceived of Ace Attorney at Capcom back in 2001, it can't have been considered more than an idle curiosity. Sure, the characters were endearing, and the pixel art really pushed the hardware for the time – but at the end of the day, it was a game about a lawyer. One delivered via reams of text, at that.
Related10 Underrated Ace Attorney Characters
With over two decades of history, Ace Attorney has spawned a large number of memorable characters that have stuck with us for years.
PostsCut to 2024. Ace Attorney, far from being a one-hit wonder, has captured the hearts of fans everywhere with its whip-smart writing and brain-teasing puzzle gameplay. With ten entries now having been notched up, it's tough to tell where to begin, and how exactly the soap-opera-esque timeline plays out. Wonder no longer: here's a handy article, starting from the beginning of the timeline.
Updated September 10, 2024 by Bobby Mills: Ace Attorney just keeps on rolling, doesn't it? Whether it's HD collections, localisations of games that most fans never thought possible (hello, Investigations 2) or a constant showing on the internet meme circuit, it's a permanent fixture of nerd culture. With multiple recent arrivals, what better time to update our list showing you how to go about getting into this unique legal world? No objections here!
Just a quick heads-up for any rookie lawyers out there: we'll be dabbling in some minor plot spoilers in this article.
Since this is, at its heart, a story-driven visual novel series, we'd advise caution if you're donning the blue suit for the first time! We wouldn't want any lawsuits, after all...
10 The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles
The Future Is Truly In The Past
CloseThe Great Ace Attorney Chronicles
Adventure Visual Novel 4.0/5 Released July 27, 2021 Developer(s) Capcom Publisher(s) Capcom Platform(s) Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows Powered by Expand CollapseThough it was originally planned as a trilogy, Takumi was forced to chop down The Great Ace Attorney saga into two installments. Then, when its entirely unexpected English localisation hit Western shores in 2021, these disparate halves were finally merged into a single package: The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, which is where the timeline begins.
Here, you play as Phoenix Wright's Japanese ancestor, Ryunosuke Naruhodo, in the Meiji era. He and his assistant, Susato 'Susie' Mikotoba, become embroiled in a lawyer exchange program and are shipped off to London in the place of their missing friend, Kazuma.
It isn't long before — amidst a backdrop of political tensions and racial prejudice — they must blow the lid off a governmental conspiracy. Ah, longstanding family traditions.
9 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Witness The Finger-Pointing Beginning
ClosePhoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Adventure Visual Novel Released October 12, 2001 Developer(s) Capcom Production Studio 4 Publisher(s) Capcom Platform(s) Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, PC, Wii, iOS Powered by Expand CollapseThe game where it all began. Well, not quite; it's actually the second in the timeline. Flash forward to 2016, and greenhorn attorney Phoenix Wright is embarking on his burgeoning law career. Aided by his (far more competent) mentor Mia Fey — and ultimately her adorable sister Maya, who becomes his dearest companion — he navigates a series of cases that escalate in complexity like nobody's business.
Though initially he's defending klutzes like his schoolfriend Larry Butz, eventually he's pitted against Miles Edgeworth, another longtime mate of his, who's mysteriously opted to assume the prosecutor's chair. Phoenix helps Edgeworth get over his past demons, and wraps up a decade-old murder trial in the process. Not bad for a rookie.
8 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice For All
Moe Doesn't Deserve Justice, However
ClosePhoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice For All
Visual Novel Puzzle Released October 18, 2002 Developer(s) Capcom Publisher(s) Capcom Platform(s) Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, PC Powered by Expand CollapseNext up comes the direct sequel, Justice For All. It's been just under a year since the first game, and Maya and Phoenix are thrust together anew when Maya's banged up for a murder she didn't commit. Not exactly the most pleasant of reunions, but Phoenix is there to bail her out and find the true culprit, while discovering more about the Fey lineage and meeting Maya's precocious cousin, Pearl, in the process.
RelatedHow Long Would It Take You To Beat Every Ace Attorney Game?
Being a lawyer isn't just a day's work.
PostsOtherwise, it's business as usual. A veritable conga line of wacky cases ensue, including one particularly infamous one set in the Berry Big Circus grounds. It's all made worth it by Farewell, My Turnabout, the final case, which sees the stakes cranked higher than ever when Maya is kidnapped. Poor girl can't catch a break.
7 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Trials And Tribulations
Trials And Tribulations, They've Had Their Share
ClosePhoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations
Adventure Visual Novel Released January 23, 2004 Developer(s) Capcom Production Studio 4 Publisher(s) Capcom Platform(s) Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Wii, PC Powered by Expand CollapseOften hailed as the peak of the Ace Attorney formula, Trials and Tribulations wastes no time chucking you into the action. Throughout the game, you'll flit between playing as Mia in the past and Phoenix in 2018, allowing your understanding of current events to be gradually more illuminated by history. It's exceedingly clever stuff.
For the first time, we have an overarching antagonist, one Dahlia Hawthorne; an outwardly sweet and cheerful teenager who is, in truth, a vicious killer. As things begin to click into place, and you discover she not only was responsible for Mia's past troubles but is also manipulating Phoenix's present ones, there's no better feeling than sticking it to her on the stand.
In the end, the Fey clan, Edgeworth, and Phoenix band together to send Dahlia behind bars.
6 Professor Layton Vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
This Contradiction Reminds Me Of A Puzzle
CloseProfessor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Puzzle Adventure Released November 29, 2012 Developer(s) Level-5, Capcom Publisher(s) Capcom Platform(s) Nintendo 3DS Powered by Expand CollapseDespite its status as a crossover, which might lead you to believe it's a load of non-canon guff, the excellent Professor Layton Vs. Phoenix Wright slots very neatly into the timeline. Maya still being around, rather than off in Khura'in training, indicates it must take place very shortly after Trials and Tribulations.
Phoenix and Maya are drawn, along with Layton and Luke, into the mystical town of Labyrinthia. This world, apparently, exists within a storybook, and obeys the rules of fairytale logic. Wizards and witches roam and are put on trial for casting magic, which is a commonplace occurrence. Being skeptical sorts, the professor and Phoenix don't buy it for a moment; and soon a whole ludicrous, conspiratorial web is unravelled, in true Layton fashion.
5 Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth
Nooks And Crannies, Part The First
CloseThe timeline now takes a quick break from Phoenix. After all, he's been in the starring role for four straight games – how's about we give ol' Edgey a shot? In response to a great deal of fan clamouring, Takumi relented and gave Miles his first standalone adventure set in 2019; placing it squarely into the seven-year time period that separates the two eras of the series.
RelatedAce Attorney: Every Game In The Series, Ranked
We won't accept any objections to our list.
PostsUnfortunately, at least in his inaugural outing, he isn't given much to do, beyond meeting fan-favourite assistant Kay Faraday. Investigations' runtime is largely spent tackling cases of the menial, bureaucratic kind. It's no exaggeration to say that the climactic face-off boils down to arguing the toss about diplomatic immunity for roughly four hours. Luckily, things would pick up soon.
4 Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor's Gambit
Nooks And Crannies, Part The Second
CloseAce Attorney Investigations 2 is a masterclass of mystery writing. Unlike some previous entries (Justice For All, primarily), every single chapter of this DS sequel is meticulously interwoven. Not a character, line of dialogue, or apparent non-sequitur goes un-paid-off; no guns of the Chekhov persuasion go unfired.
For years, Investigations 2 was trapped in Japan due to poor sales of the original in Western territories. Fan demand burgeoned to the point where they took it upon themselves to produce a truly phenomenal home-brewed translation, which for ages was the closest we got to the full thing in English.
Finally, in 2024, Capcom blessed us with the Investigations Collection, completing the official set at last. It's a true testament to how far Ace Attorney's popularity has come in the past decade or so.
Again working with Kay, Edgeworth is pulled into the dark underbelly of the legal world. Years-long grudges bubble to the surface, political figures are offed (or are they?), and Miles himself begins to question his role in the system as a prosecutor. Plus, the reveal of the mastermind's identity is just jaw-dropping. Two thumbs up for 2.
3 Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney
Let The Newbie Take The Spotlight
CloseApollo Justice: Ace Attorney
Adventure Visual Novel Released April 12, 2007 Developer(s) Capcom Publisher(s) Capcom Platform(s) Nintendo DS, iOS, Android, Nintendo 3DS Powered by Expand CollapseWe now come to the gaping, seven-year hole in the middle of the timeline. Shortly after Edgeworth's adventures, Phoenix is made an unwitting pawn in the revenge schemes of one Kristoph Gavin, and inadvertently presents forged evidence during a high-profile 2019 trial. As a result, he's stripped of his badge and disbarred. With his career down the toilet, it would be almost an in-universe decade before we see him again. In the meantime, he adopts a daughter, Trucy.
Enter Apollo Justice. The year is 2026, and this red-suited apprentice attorney is all set to stake his claim in the legal world. Phoenix resurfaces, determined to clear his name, and pegs Apollo's unique perception abilities as the best way to do it. The two lawyers work together, albeit begrudgingly at first, to expose Kristoph's plot. By the end, Phoenix is on course to resuming his career (thanks to some strings pulled by Edgeworth), and Apollo has signed on as his protégé.
2 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies
Should Have Been Named Triple Destinies, Really
ClosePhoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies
Visual Novel Adventure Released October 24, 2013 Developer(s) Capcom Publisher(s) Capcom Platform(s) Android, iOS, Nintendo 3DS Powered by Expand CollapseOf course, the legal world won't just ignore an event as cataclysmic as the most famous lawyer on Earth being disgraced. The controversy surrounding Phoenix's disbarment, as well as a respected prosecutor, Simon Blackquill, being found guilty of murder, triggers a series of violent attacks on prominent courthouses. It's 'the dark age of the law.'
RelatedThe Best Visual Novels on Steam
Visual novels are a great way for gamers to immerse themselves in a deep story. These are the best ones available on Steam right now.
PostsThankfully, in dark, there's light. Phoenix has his badge back, and with the assistance of Apollo (and newcomer Athena Cykes, whose psychological prowess helps dig into the emotions within testimonies), he's determined to show everyone they can trust in the system once again.
Things come to a head in a final trial, prosecuted by Blackquill, which uncovers the existence of international spy 'The Phantom', who had been responsible for sowing much of the discord.
1 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit Of Justice
The 'Justice' There Has Multiple Meanings
ClosePhoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit Of Justice
Visual Novel Science Fiction Released June 9, 2016 Developer(s) Capcom Publisher(s) Capcom Platform(s) Nintendo Switch, Nintendo 3DS, iOS, Android, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows Powered by Expand CollapseAt last, the final game in the timeline (for now). Spirit of Justice transplants the desk-slamming to the Kingdom of Khura'in, an ancient land of spirit mediums where Maya moved to continue her training. It just so happens that this country's in the midst of a political crisis; the corrupt monarch Ga'ran has forcefully taken over, with the former queen nowhere in sight.
Phoenix, Apollo, and Athena, then, must do what they can in a nation whose laws are being rewritten by the second to favour defence attorneys as little as possible. In fact, by the final trial, the trio have guns pointed at them during cross-examinations, poised to fire if they say something Ga'ran doesn't like. Intense.
In the end, Apollo nails Ga'ran on a technicality that proves she has no right to rule; and, upon discovering he has family in Khura'in, sets up his own law office there.
Next21 Games To Play If You Love Ace Attorney And Phoenix Wright
If you're a fan of crime-solving games and mystery novels, these games are for you.
Posts
